Saudi Arabia: deportations from Saudi Arabia by month (March 2011-February 2016)

Monthly figures Cumulated figures
3/2011 33,323 33,323
4/2011 34,311 67,634
5/2011 30,504 98,138
6/2011 38,703 136,841
7/2011 29,724 166,565
8/2011 30,751 197,316
9/2011 43,704 241,020
10/2011 36,087 277,107
11/2011 53,014 330,121
12/2011 54,384 384,505
Total 3 to 12/ 2011 384,505
1/2012 47,473 431,978
2/2012 48,826 480,804
3/2012 46,413 527,217
4/2012 49,296 576,513
5/2012 50,734 627,247
6/2012 53,851 681,098
7/2012 44,693 725,791
8/2012 60,972 786,763
9/2012 51,963 838,726
10/2012 41,944 880,670
11/2012 51,049 931,719
12/2012 47,288 979,007
Total 2012 594,502
1/2013 46,579 1,025,586
2/2013 51,009 1,076,595
3/2013 52,322 1,128,917
4/2013 53,713 1,182,630
5/2013 61,203 1,243,833
6/2013 50,157 1,293,990
7/2013 30,585 1,324,575
8/2013 29,395 1,353,970
9/2013 34,266 1,388,236
10/2013 32,300 1,420,536
11/2013 123,470 1,544,006
12/2013 100,961 1,644,967
Total 2013 665,960
01/2014 55,069 1,700,036
02/2014 52,283 1,752,319
03/2014 50,960 1,803,279
04/2014 42,295 1,845,574
05/2014 49,437 1,895,011
06/2014 50,543 1,945,554
07/2014 44,119 1,989,673
08/2014 43,650 2,033,323
09/2014 55,186 2,088,509
10/2014 44,781 2,133,290
11/2014 55,410 2,188,700
12/2014 61,687 2,250,387
Total 2014 605,420
01/2015 55,930 2,306,317
02/2015 58,230 2,364,547
03/2015 63,134 2,427,681
04/2015 63,785 2,491,466
05/2015 47,405 2,538,871
06/2015 31,403 2,570,274
07/2015 21,355 2,591,629
08/2015 21,676 2,613,305
09/2015 24,214 2,637,519
10/2015 18,257 2,655,776
11/2015 34,107 2,689,883
12/2015 28,379 2,718,262
Total 2014 467,875
01/2016 29,050 2,747,312
02/2016 30,403 2,777,715

Source: Ministry of Interior.

1. Definition

Saudi Arabia for years has been routinely performing deportations of illegal workers, during amnesty periods and rounding up operations of various scales.
Nitaqat, a massive program of saudization of the work force, was formally launched by the Saudi Ministry of Labour in September 2011 (Ministerial Resolution n°4040, dated 12/10/1432 H.).

Premium and Green categories include the companies with highest Saudization rates, while Yellow and Red include the ones with low rates.

The amnesty period expired on November 3rd, 2013. Since then, systematic country-wide raid operations are conducted by Ministry of Labour (in work sites) and by Ministry of Interior (in locations inhabited by aliens).
Deported workersare barred from coming back.

2. Institution which provides data

Ministry of interior

3. Data availability

Monthly figures for irregulars’ arrests and deportations are available online on the Ministry of Interior’s website,
Section “National center for security operations”, “monthly statistics”.

Figures are computed by Hijrah months, in Arabic only.

Last date of access: 07 April 2016